Sunday, 6 May 2012

It´s just been revealed that kiteboarding is about to replace windsurfing in the 2016 Olympics and, naturally, there´s a fair bit of hoo-ha about it all. I think it´s fairly obvious what my opinion on the matter is- I´d say most people would agree that due to the fairly low level of skill and fitness/training required in kiting you may aswell just toss a coin for the medals. If you head down to Flag Beach on a windyish day, it will be immediately apparent that everyone is at the same level- they all go the same speed, do the same tricks and can take one hand off and drag it in the water. Actually, there are two levels- complete beginners, who flap about in the water with no board and get in my way with their lines, and "experts"(the aforementioned hand-draggers), who flap about in the water looking for their boards and get in my way with their lines. As both these levels seem to be separated by about six sessions on the water, I consider this proof of the lack of skill, dedication and training needed. Anyway, I won´t harp on about it, if you want to read more check this out... http://www.change.org/petitions/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline . (I signed by the way).

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Low tide at Punta gave us the perfect opportunity to get some pictures from the rocky island on the left of the bay. I was looking forward to it as I have never had a photo from there and the perspective is incredible- not only the angle of the jump but also having Lanzarote as a backdrop, so we sent my friend Juan wading across the strait with the camera in its waterproof housing (Madrid had just beaten Barcelona the night before, effectively winning the Spanish title so we could have talked him into anything I reckon). While he was getting organised I had the best 45 minutes I´ve had at Punta this year and was already mentally prepared to get my "shot of a lifetime", scoring some huge backloops and pushies. It was not to be, however. as the wind dropped off minutes before the camera was in place, leaving me horribly underpowered on my 5.0m so I spent the next hour pumping onto the plane in the gusts to try and get any sort of air for the photos. Disappointed, as I would have had some epic pics for sure, but the photos came out nice colour-wise and I´m now doubly looking forward to doing it next time with wind!!!!

Welcome to the site!Aswell as regular features and news updates from Fuerte, I am going to be using this site to promote my windsurfing clinics.
After 15 years on the island,having competed in the PWA freestyle world cup and now representing Fanatic Boards and North Sails, I have decided to give something back to the sport which has given me so much over the years.
My aim is to provide clinics "tailor-made"for each individual, with a strong emphasis on practical in-the-water instruction, backed up by on-the-beach tuition and video analysis. The consistent conditions here in Fuerte make learning so much easier and, perhaps equally important, more fun than the typically inconsistent, cold UK - why not come over for a week and improve your windsurfing by a year!!!I can help with any manoeuvres from carve-gybe through to advanced jumping and freestyle, just email me with your wish list and we'll take it from there! Over the next few months, I am going to be video-chronicling manoeuvres which you can check out on the right in my tricktionary sections. This will give you some idea of the things we can work on, or, if you can't make it over here, you may find them useful to help understand and break down a manoeuvre you would like to learn (hopefully, the slow-mo will help in this respect!).Just click on the trick and scroll down..........Anyway, keep checking it out as I have loads more in my bag of tricks and will be updating as and when I get the footage.If you're interested, e-mail me on gibboinfuerte@yahoo.co.uk See ya in Fuerte? Stephen.............